Tag Archives: M/I Homes

Dining room in a Estates at Shayler Ridge model home (Click here to see more pics of this model)

Painting is one of the easiest and least expensive DIY projects for your home. That’s what M/I Homes’ Design Center Manager, Jenny Entler, says. We have to believe her because she studies up on the latest design trends and she’s helped hundreds of home buyers over the years to create their dream spaces down to every last detail, including, yes… the paint colors.

Bathroom in an Estates at Shayler Ridge model home (click here to see more pics of this model)

She says the current, most popular colors are light, muted grays; “beachy” pastel blues and greens; soft shades of white. “It’s pretty typical for customers to say they want to do a bold color—but few follow through—most stick with a light neutral like gray and beige,” she explains.

Here are seven savvy tips that Entler offers to help you pick the perfect hue for you!

Living room in a Estates at Shayler Ridge model home (Click here to see more pics of this model)

2. Feeling Blue for Bedtime: Blue is the most popular color to paint a bedroom. People feel it is “relaxing”, “serene” and “restful”

3. Get with the Flow: When choosing paint colors for the different spaces in your home—be mindful of how each area flows into the adjacent areas, and select colors with the same tones and undertones. Your home should have an overall flow, and all paint colors should make sense together.

4. Hit the (Fifth) Wall: Don’t forget the “fifth wall” of your rooms! Painting the ceiling will give the room a more finished look. Consider using the same color as your walls, but adding white to it to take it a few shades lighter. Whatever you choose, keep it light and neutral. Remember that darker colors tend to create the illusion of a lower ceiling; while white creates an airy, open feeling.

Bedroom in the Greenshire Commons model home (click here to view more pics of this model)

5. Have an Accent: Painting a room a dark or bold color can be risky. A popular and inexpensive way to add a “pop” of color to a room is to paint an “accent” color on one wall. The color you choose should be in the same shade family and have the same warm or cool undertone as the general paint color. You’re less likely to get tired of the color too soon and it’s much easier to keep up with color trends when you only have one wall to repaint!

6. Contrast your Trim: Contrast your wall color with your trim color. Even a light neutral color on your walls will look more interesting when it’s paired with bright white on your baseboards, crown molding and window sills. The bright white will bring out the “color” of your neutral.

Bedroom in the Greenshire Commons model home (click here to view more pics of this model)

7. Think Big Picture: When we work with a customer to select a general paint color for a brand new home, and we don’t have any idea what their furniture of décor looks like; our goal is to find a neutral color with the proper undertone to complement their cabinets, flooring, countertop and tile choices. All components should be considered as a whole and the general paint color needs to look good with everything they’ve chosen.

If you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com.

Whether it’s getting a nicer room on vacation, or front row at a fashion show, I love it when I can splurge a little and upgrade to VIP. But upgrading to VIP for FREE? Talk about a win-win!

That’s what M/I Homes offers with their VIP list. It’s free to sign up, and when you’re on it, you’re the first to find out about new communities, plus you’ll get info about pricing and plans before they’re released publicly.

For example, there’s a new community coming soon to the Mason area called Ambleside and M/I Homes just released the site map to those on our VIP list. Plans and pricing for this community haven’t been released yet, but if you join the VIP list, you will get the info first!

Ambleside is within the Mason City School District – one of Ohio’s highest-ranked districts – which educates more than 10,000 students in an early childhood center, (pre-k, k, 1, 2) one elementary school (2-3), an intermediate campus (4-6), a middle school (7-8) and high school (9-12).

The community itself offers 122 single family 60’ wide homesites to choose from, with the option of some cul-de-sac homesites as well. Other perks include community pool, ponds and nature trails, with easy access to 741 and I-71.

Check out this gorgeous community and see what some of these new homes in Mason will look like. You’ll also get to see what the community streetscape will look like! You can also click here to watch an aerial tour video – it’s just dirt for now, but gives you an idea of where the community is located and the terrain!

If you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes or being one of the first to see the new Ambleside community, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com. And don’t forget to sign up for the VIP list!

Estrella. Meaning “star” in Spanish, this new community soon to be developed by M/I Homes is sure to be a star when people start to find out and see it in person!

M/I Homes just purchased the land for the forthcoming Estrella community. It’s across the street from Amelia High School, includes 91 acres and 113 homesites to choose from. It also has easy access to highways, shopping (including Eastgate Mall), and schools.

It’s an up-and-coming area too with lots of good things to come on the horizon! In fact, the Estrella community is just down the street from a brand new, state-of-the-art school that Clermont County is building to replace Amelia High School. Click here to read a story on WLWT about it!

The Estrella community will feature pocket parks, walking trails and about 44% of it will remain as open space! Sounds amazing! There will be a model home (which I’m sure will be beautifully decorated!) soon built in this community, and there will be a grand opening event to officially welcome everyone to check it out.

If you’d like to learn more about M/I Homes and where they are in Cincinnati, click here! Or, if you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes or being one of the first to see the new Estrella model home, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com

It’s amazing how quickly technology changes, and how much each little advancement makes life so much easier.

Today, technology is finding its way into every aspect of life to make everyday living a little easier. And keep in mind that technology isn’t just limited to your phone, tablet and PC (although many have apps that connect to your mobile devices). It’s in your car, it’s in your fashion (I just got a cool new bag that charges my phone on-the-go!), and it’s definitely in your home.

I’ve been searching for new ways to make our home a little “smarter,” and I came across the Smart Series of Homes blogs from M/I Homes. There, I found a great post featuring five fab ways to make your home a little (ok, a LOT) smarter, with fun things like a robot that cleans your gutter, wifi enabled sprinkler, electronic doggy door, touchscreen deadbolt, and a WiFi-enabled device that acts as your garage door opener.

We actually just switched out our old deadbolt with one of the Schlage touchscreen deadblots for our house and I LOVE it – you just type in a quick passcode instead of using a key! My daughter is now tall enough to reach locks, so it’s nice to know that I won’t get locked out with her inside if I take something out to the trash can or bring a package inside! haha!

The garage door app one was my favorite ideas from the blog series because it allows you to open and close your garage door with your smartphone from anywhere in the world. Plus, you can connect to a weather service so it closes automatically when it rains, or a location service so it automatically opens when you arrive! One thing I loved about ALL the ideas is that they’re all super affordable. They all ranged from $199-$349!

There was also this great post from the series featuring a bunch of ideas for updating your home with Security Systems and Cameras, and then this one on garage/outdoors! Oh, I hear there’s another smart blog in the series coming soon by M/I Homes, so I can’t wait to read that one too!

If you’d like to learn more about the smart M/I Homes and where they are in Cincinnati, click here! Or, if you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes or seeing one of these models in person, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at mailto:salescinci@mihomes.com.

I love learning about new trends. They’re fascinating! I’m always reading the style blogs during New York Fashion Week to see which trends are emerging. And actually, interior design trends closely follow fashion trends so it’s neat to see how those translate. I talked with Jenny Entler, Design Center Manager at M/I Homes, to see which trends are the hottest right now in home decor and here’s her list:

1) Industrial-Style Light Fixtures (Edison Bulbs, Metals, Open Framework, “Caged” lights) The industrial trend is growing as more homes incorporate vintage electric design elements. Pair industrial designs with rustic-inspired interiors as a way to warm up this popular trend.

2) “Farmhouse” Style Exterior Elevation Features (White Siding, Board & Batten Siding, Stone foundations, Metal Roofs, Rough-Raw Timber accents) This is a shabby chic way to freshen up your look in a lived-in way without it looking overly-polished. It’s also an opportunity to go green and use reclaimed wood if you go with the timber accents.

3) Black Windows (interior and exterior frame color black) I love this trend because it makes the windows pop and frames the view outside turning the windows into works of art. The black window trim and windows makes the space look more custom and helps anchor the room. Black trim is beautiful and can be so classy when done right. Inside and outside, adding black trim adds a dramatic custom touch that adds so much character that can be as affordable as a can of black paint.

4) “Modern Farmhouse” Décor. This trend takes traditional elements found in old farmhouses and giving them a modern update. Examples: An Apron-front sink “farmhouse sink” in Stainless Steel in lieu of Cast-Iron; Open shelves in the Kitchen in lieu of cabinets; Rustic Hardwood flooring in a trendy Gray tone.

5) Barn Doors on Hanging Rails (Interior) Remember, sliding doors are not just limited to traditional doorways in your home. Use them as a room divider, closet doors or for pantry doors. You can use them to cover openings of rooms such as Mud Room, Laundry Rooms, Pantries, Den/Offices.

6) Pet “Centers.” Many stylish people are letting their houses go to the dogs …and the cats and the birds… without sacrificing style or comfort. Easily add a Pet Center to your home with food storage/beds/showers/feeding bowls, built-in, in a location such as a Mud Room.

10) Large-Format Tiles. Large format tile, or LFT, is one of the hottest flooring trends. The traditional 12in. x12in. size has been doubled and even tripled …trending sizes are 12” x 24”; 24” x 24”; 7” x 20”; 3” x 36” in tons of materials and finishes from polished porcelain tiles to sleek, modern glass, and wood-look tiles, the best looks have been expanded to stunning proportions. Because each tile covers more square feet, fewer grout lines are required during installation resulting in a more streamlined design.

11) Warm Metals (copper, gold, “antique gold”, rose gold) Warm-tone metals have risen in popularity again, this time certainly as a reaction to the past few decades of technical and austere-looking white and silver tones that seem to be everywhere in architecture and industrial design. However, this new wave of warm metals is more refined and has more breadth than its predecessors, with nuances of finish options being seen in everything from building façades down to appliances, flatware, decorative objects, lighting, accessories, frames and wall art and plumbing fixtures.

12) Quartz Replacing Granite. Granite and marble have long been the reigning high-end countertop material of choice — but if you’ve browsed a kitchen showroom recently, you may have noticed that these swanky stones are being usurped by quartz. According to the National Kitchen and Bath Association, manufactured quartz is now the leading countertop material — and with good reason: Quartz doesn’t need to be sealed like Granite does…and comes in a variety of controllable colors and styles (you can’t control the color or pattern of granite — what you see is what you get.)

The summer buying season is heating up, and that means sellers will be flocking to list their homes. With so many homes on the market, it’ll be stiff competition for sellers who are looking to get out of their current home and into a new one. How do you get your home to rise to the top?

I know staging made a huge difference for my husband and I when we were buying our home. There were some homes that were empty and it was tough to see how you could use the various spaces. Then, there were some that were too cluttered and too personal, or unclean and unkept with a fixer-upper to-do list that gave me anxiety just walking around.

Remember to de-clutter and de-personalize your spaces!

So, while you feel at home in your house, think about how those potential buyers will feel when they walk through instead. Staging with these 15 fab tips will help to sell it (and hopefully sell it quickly so you can start living in your dream home sooner rather than later!).

1) Clutter – Simplify, simplify, simplify! Too much furniture can make rooms look smaller. Same goes for the small stuff, too. Pack up any unnecessary items and personal belongings that you won’t need for a month or few months.

2) Great lighting – Increase the wattage of your lamps and fixtures to 100watts for each 50 square feet. Make sure you also have ambient lighting (general / overhead), task (pendant, reading, etc) and accent lighting (wall, tables, etc).

3) Neutral and appealing colors – Go for neutral paint colors that anyone will like. Bold colors have a way of appealing to a smaller market and reducing offers, so go for neutrals, especially in large spaces.

A few updates and a little cleaning go a long way — especially in bathrooms!

4) De-Personalize – Remove family photos and make it less personal so the future buyer can picture their family there, not yours.

5) Flower arrangements – Search your yard if needed! Pull summer blooms into a vase to welcome those viewing your home. Or run to the nearest store and get a small bouquet of flowers.

6) New Facings – If you can’t afford new cabinet doors but want to make them look updated, add new hardware and just new doors / new drawer fronts. Same with the dishwasher – you may be able to get a new front panel from the manufacturer.

7) Finish those unfinished projects – They will become eyesores to your potential buyers. Make sure you update them prior to listing your home.

They say kitchens sell homes, and updating appliances is an easy way to boost the appeal!

8) Invest in updated appliances – They don’t need to be best or newest model, but stainless steel is a huge selling point for future homeowners. Make sure to spray stainless steel cleaner prior to showings to make sure there are no fingerprints. New kitchen appliances bring high returns from sellers in all of our markets!

9) Update bathrooms – Grimy bathrooms are a huge red flag! Even if you can’t afford to do a full update, make sure to get rid of surface mold. Give the room a new coat of paint, clean grout, replace the shower door and/or paint your tiles to give inexpensive but effective improvements.

10) Give the fireplace a facelift – If you have a fireplace, update the fireplace screen. Get a heat resistant spray paint to give the screen a facelift.

11) Curb appeal – Online people are first going to see the exterior of your home so make sure that this first impression gives the perfect impression! Paint the exterior, add new flowers, pull weeds, re-stain your deck, power wash your home, and wash your windows – inside and out! A welcome home mat and flowers on the porch are also nice touches to make those feel welcome.

Don’t forget to stage the outdoor spaces of your home, too!

12) Floors – Have your floors professionally cleaned for carpets, and have wood floors cleaned or refinished if needed. You could even utilize discount sites like Groupon, Angie’s List, etc to find inexpensive ways to update these items.

13) Clean out! – Clean out your closets, cupboards, pantries, etc. Typically you can hide things in these, but these will all be opened when your home is up for sale. Buyers want to see storage areas and they definitely do now want to open the door and have items fall out or worse, hitting them on the head!

14) Pets – We all love our own pets, but potential homeowners probably don’t want your pet hair all over. Make sure to remove pet odors and stains from floors by getting them steam cleaned. Also, try to send pets (dogs and cats specifically) to daycare on when your house is being shown. Don’t have a daycare? Reach out to a friend or neighbor to see if you can have your dog stay their for a few hours! Make sure to vacuum extremely well to remove hair! Pets, as well as their smells and allergens, can deter potential buyers.

15) Outdoor Staging – Staging doesn’t stop at the door. It’s important to stage your outdoor living spaces, too. This includes your front porch, deck, patios and around the pool. This not only warms up the spaces and makes it feel like home, but it also gives buyers an idea of how useful the spaces could be to their lifestyle.

They say variety is the spice of life, and that’s exactly what you’ll get at the Turnbridge Grand Opening event!

It’s M/I Homes’ new homesite, Located in Liberty Township, and the grand opening festivities will have a fun Fiesta theme! So, mark your calendar for Thursday, June 2 from 5-8pm. Enjoy Mariachi Band, taco bar and margaritas. Plus, we’ll have an exciting ribbon cutting ceremony at 4:45 with the Chamber of Commerce. Its going to be SUCH a good time! Click here to learn more and RSVP!

The location of this gorgeous community offers you the feeling of being tucked away in a Butler County country setting, but still gives you quick and easy access to everyday amenities. It’s minutes from I-747, I-129 and I-75 — easy to get to Cincinnati or Dayton. Plus, it’s minutes from Kings Island, The Beach Waterpark and the new Liberty Center Mall (my new favorite place to shop!) Turnbridge is in the Lakota East School District, which received the state’s highest rating of “Excellent with Distinction.”

The community itself features a picturesque setting of winding roads, a backdrop of mature trees and beautiful park settings. In fact, there are 48 acres of green space designated for residents, walking trails, a large stocked pond with a large fountain and an awesome playground! Click here to learn more about the community!

The model that you’ll get to view at the Grand Opening event is the Keating floor plan. This 3,932 square foot, four-bedroom home is designed with luxury and function in mind. Everything from the magnificent two story foyer area with cascading staircase to the soaring two story great room with stunning windows… this model says “WOW!” The kitchen is the perfect blend of function and fashion with its open design concept. The first floor also offers a study and a den, perfect for the busy family who needs extra space. Enter the beautiful master retreat through double doors and enjoy the luxury spa-like master bath. With a huge walk-in shower and double vanities, this is the bathroom of your dreams! The master retreat also features a huge walk-in closet (no more storing half your clothes in the guest bedroom and basement!). The second floor laundry is conveniently located just outside the master retreat. Plus with three other bedrooms and two more bathrooms on the second floor, you have all the space you need… and then some! This home is beautifully decorated by Mary Cook & Associates and is a MUST see! Click here to learn more about the model!

I can’t wait to check out this gorgeous model home at the grand opening event…. and maaaaybe one of those yummy margaritas!

If you’re interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com.

Dream home… dream location… dream no more! There’s a new community on Cincinnati’s west side that can make it all a reality.

This brand new, absolutely beautiful, single-family home community is located near I-74, I-275 and only 15 minutes from Downtown Cincinnati! This community is also proud to be a part of the Oak Hills School District, which is the third largest school system in Hamilton County.

You get to have the best of both worlds, though – close to everything but feel away from it all! Located on the West side of town, this community features three community lakes and over 18 acres of natural green space. Situated on Old Hillview Golf Course, Greenshire Commons has natural beauty that allows you to feel like you’re in a remote location, but in reality, you’re just minutes from the city and all your conveniences! Click here to see a video of the community!

Greenshire Commons is opening in style with a grand opening event and model home tour. The event takes place on Saturday, May 21st from 12pm – 5pm. You can click here to get more details and RSVP!

And fair warning: Be prepared to fall in love the moment you walk in this AMAZING model home! The model is a Nicholas, one of M/I Homes’ best-selling plans. Its 4,423 square feet, 4 bedrooms, 4.5 baths, finished walkout basement with a bar. It walks out to a paver patio and fire pit. Screened in porch off the kitchen. Gourmet kitchen, wood beams on the ceiling in the kitchen and great room. First floor study with built-in library. Second floor laundry. Master suite with a vaulted ceiling, master bath has a walk in garden shower. Home backs up to wooded views. Whew! That’s just scratching the surface! You have to see it for yourself!

At the grand opening event, you’ll not only be able to tour the brand new, professionally decorated Nicholas model home, but you and the family can also enjoy food, entertainment, kid’s activities, prizes, and much more!

They will have Chicago Style hot dog vendor and a Empanada food truck and a kona ice truck. They will also have face painters and a balloon artists for the kids! Plus, every half-hour they will be giving away prizes! So fun! Bring your hunger and your family, and we’ll see you there!

If you are interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes, call Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com.

Kids are almost out of school, and people have more time to shop around (and move in) during the summer, so as the weather heats up and so does selling season! If you’re trying to sell your home to get into a new home – use these suggestions for boosting your curb appeal!

Curb appeal is your first impression as someone drives by or walks up to get a closer look. And as they say, you never get a second chance to make a great first impression, so here are 15 helpful ways to make sure it’s great!

Clean Windows: A quick wash to make the windows sparkly clean will not only make your home gleam, but it gives the impression that the home is clean and cared for. Plus, your home is covered in windows, so you don’t want people to walk up and immediately add something to their cleaning to-do list before they even walk in the door.

Fix the front door: The door is the first physical contact that a potential buyer will have with your home, so make sure you WD40 the squeaks, tighten any loose knobs, fix the storm door, clean any glass, and re-paint if it needs a new coat.

Paint the front door: If you do paint the front door, give it a color that makes it pop!

Remove/update rotted wood around the home: Give your home a good once-over and fix any wood that may have gotten damaged over the years. An inspector will always spot this and have you fix it anyway, so you might as well do it now

Powerwash your home, walk ways, patios, driveway etc. It’s amazing how a good powerwash removes years of dirt, mildew and build-up to make it look almost new again.

Give your porch and deck a facelift: Restain if you can, or another option is to use the “Deck Over” product from Home Depot, which gives a similar look to fresh stain without all the work.

Paint fences, mailboxes, house number: While you’re restaining, cleaning and painting, make sure your fences, mailboxes, and house number all look pristine too!

Bold house numbers: While we’re talking about house numbers, make sure these are bold and easy to spot. The worst thing is to have someone searching for your home from the MLS and not be able to find it.

Give some love to the landscaping: New mulch is such an easy way to give a fresh look to your home’s façade! Try the red mulch for a great pop of color!

Paint your Garage door, or if you’re really up for a challenge, repaint your home! You’ll be amazed at what some new paint can do to an older home.

Add a new door knocker: New hardware will give it an updated, modern, cared-for appeal. Plus, you’ll be able to hear when people are knocking on your door for all of those showings!

Add window boxes, potted plants to the exteriors, etc. Think about those things that are constantly catching your eye when you’re on a walk or driving. Make your home truly stand out with these items.

Plant perennials of different colors throughout your home: Think of eye-catching color combos like reds, yellows and oranges!

Last but not least…Think like a buyer! Don’t think of this home as your home anymore. Think about it this way – you’re window shopping at the mall. What attracts your attention and is going to make you want to look at that item more? Do this to your home.

Once you have your home sold, make sure you start looking into purchasing a new home. You’ll be amazed at the layouts and different options that you can put into your home.

If you are interested in talking with someone at M/I Homes, call my friend Laura at (513) 268-8460 or email her at salescinci@mihomes.com.